(Host) The attorney general says two-thirds of the money Vermonters give to some charities goes to pay the fund-raisers themselves.
VPR’s Ross Sneyd reports.
(Sneyd) Vermonters give about $260 million a year to charities and most nonprofit groups raise that money themselves.
But some hire professional consultants to solicit money. Those charities collect about $3 million annually.
Attorney General Bill Sorrell says the consultants earn even more.
(Sorrell) "Overall the average is that if you made a contribution to a charity that is using a paid fundraiser, then more than two-thirds of each dollar you gave went to the paid fund-raiser, as opposed to the charity. It’s actually 67.8 cents of every dollar you gave ended up in the pocket of the paid fundraiser."
(Sneyd) The average varies widely. Some paid fundraisers take less than 30 percent of the money they bring in and others take 90 percent.
Sorrell says state law allows paid fundraisers to make a profit.
(Sorrell) "A paid fundraiser is also required to tell you, the would-be donor before you write the check or give your credit-card number that it is a paid fund-raiser and must provide information to you as to where you can go to get information about that particular campaign.
(Sneyd) Sorrell’s office has compiled a report detailing which Vermont charities hire a consultant to raise their money, and how much goes to the fund-raising itself.
The report highlights one charity in particular. It says Professional Fire Fighters of Vermont raised $3.2 million over the past three years – and more than 78 percent of the money went to a paid fund-raiser.
The firefighters said in a statement that some of the money went to entertainment that was staged as part of the fund-raising.
It says the money it raises goes to help promote laws and equipment that make Vermont homes safer, including advanced carbon monoxide monitoring devices.
For VPR News, I’m Ross Sneyd.